The talk then changed to easier things, and soon enough they went to the music room to practice their duets. By the end of the day, they were fast friends.
Chapter Thirty-Five
At Westmoreland House, Lord Fane stared moodily into the fire, an empty brandy glass in his hand. Agatha watched him anxiously. “Teddy?”
He looked up.
“Is it Miss Darcy?”
Before he could respond, his mother entered the room in a swish of silk. She frowned at her son. “It is not like you to drink your troubles away,” she said, coolly. “I hope you are not fretting over the Darcy chit.”
Her son looked up at her, fury in his eyes. “I will thank you not to speak of her that way.”
“I am told that she canceled your plan to drive out with her, and she was not particularly warm to you at Almack’s,” Lady Amelia persisted. “I am certain that she does not have the right temperament for a match between you to succeed, and she knows it.”
Lord Fane rose from his chair; towering over his mother, he said, through clenched teeth, “Stop. Just – stop.”
Undeterred, she continued. “I understand that Lady Arabella will be at the Hampton’s ball tonight. I suggest you attend the event and turn your attention to her.”
But her son was already making his way out of the room.
Agatha said, quietly, “He is in love with Miss Darcy, Mother. He will not pursue Lady Arabella or anyone else.”
“In love? Do you truly believe this?”
“I do. I have seen them together. If you want him to be happy, you will assist this match in any way that you can. You must stop deprecating Miss Darcy; you are simply pushing him away from you.”
“And is love important enough that he would marry someone who could not truly assist him in his life?”
Agatha hesitated. She had never spoken of this to her mother, but perhaps now was the time. “Mother, Teddy and I were well aware of your relationship with our father.”
Lady Amelia bristled. “I have no idea what you mean, Agatha. And I will thank you not to meddle in things that are none of your concern.”
“But itismy concern, Mother, and Teddy’s as well. You and Father fought constantly. Our home was a battleground, and Teddy and I vowed never to marry someone we did not love. We did not want the life that you and Father had together, even if it meant that we would never marry at all.”
Lady Amelia closed her eyes.
“I am sorry, Mother. I do not intend to hurt you. But you must understand Teddy’s feelings in this regard, as well as my own.” Agatha left the room before she could see the tears in her mother’s eyes.
***
The next day, Lady Amelia called on the Countess of Matlock.
“Would you care for tea, Amelia?”
“No, I thank you. I have come to discuss a serious topic.”
“If you wish to warn my niece away from your son, I think you need not fear. I understand that she is no longer encouraging his suit.”
“Do you know why?”
“I believe your words about the responsibilities attendant upon the wife of the Earl of Westmoreland discouraged her, just as you had hoped.”
Lady Amelia sighed. “I was wrong, Eleanor.”
“In what way? I think you may be right; Georgiana is rather shy. That said, though, I think she has come out of her shell a good deal this Season and might be better equipped than we had thought to manage those responsibilities.”
“My son is in love with her.”
